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SUBEX 164LP
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$32.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 11/22/2024
LP on translucent green. Easing in like mist off the water on a summer's morning, String Treatments is Kuma's first album for the Subexotic label. With a previous history of focusing the sonic manipulation of everything from vocal looping to lapsteel guitars, the Canadian producer has turned strings as his point of focus. The album title says it all. Orchestral instruments have been looped, chopped and fed back on themselves to create a series of whirlpools of sound. If it feels like there's a lot of blurring of things, it's because there is. Some parts of the record don't sound exactly like they're supposed to. While you may find the edges are there, things are falling apart at the seams. If you've ever watched a Wong Kar Wai film, you'll get it. Focus and collapse in a single frame at the same time. The strings are the base from which the rest of the album expands, but this allows for a plethora of directions to be explored. A pioneer of the Canadian dubstep scene, Kuma's work delicately balances on the edge between a low-end theory influenced by Digital Mystikz as much as it is by Sunn 0)) and the secular transcendence of modern composition. But at the same time, it plows its own direction. Kuma's vast collection of field recordings leave their fingerprints across multiple tracks. A broken music box stakes its claim into the heart of the album while buried vocal loops set the tone. Play quietly and drift easy. Play loud and feel the vibration.
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SUBEX 134LP
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"Cycles is a concept which is deeply intertwined with everyday life, both on a micro and macro level. They manifest in various natural, biological and societal processes, influencing our daily routines, behaviors and the world around us. Unconventional rhythms and time signatures, complex patterns, evolving modulations and shifting textures were created and used to present it (Cycles) as an integral part of our existence, shaping how we navigate to the world, make decisions and experience the passage of time..." Kostas Giazlas (Onepointwo). Kostas hails from Thessaloniki, Greece, and describes himself as a keen record collector, who is "always trying to emulate a musical journey into space, time, memories and frequencies". With influences ranging from late '50s electronic experimental sounds, motorik krautrock bands, lush shoegaze melodies and modern electronica, Onepointwo seeks to crystallize this musical backdrop via judicious use of minimal arrangements, abstract and distorted shortwave radio signals, dystopian soundscapes made up of both digital and analogue sources, all punctuated with heavily affected percussive sounds.
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SUBEX 096LP
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Working with Nigel Meredith, a space weather research scientist at the British Antarctic Survey who he had previously worked with on the bonus track "Confused By The Simple" from An Gàrradh, Anderson used recordings of "space weather" from a geomagnetic storm in 2012. These sounds were captured using the Halley research station's very low frequency receiver in the Antarctic, alongside Anderson's own modular synth structures. Meredith has been working with musicians and artists since 2018 to incorporate recordings from Halley into compositions as part of a data-as-art outreach project called Sounds Of Space. For his collaboration with Letters From Mouse, he found a previously unused sequence of space weather recordings from a geomagnetic storm centered on St. Swithin's Day in 2012. Anderson takes us on a journey through the phases of the storm's progression -- initial, main and recovery -- using the distinctive space weather sounds that the Halley receiver yields: spherics, which appear as crackles and pops; whistlers, descending tones caused by lightning strikes; chorus, which evoke birdsong. In Anderson's hands, the spherics form the basis of rhythms, and the chorus becomes mysterious and rapturous melodies. Over these raw or manipulated sounds, Meredith delivers an educational explanation of space weather and how it can impact life on Earth. Printed on solid blue color vinyl.
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SUBEX 094LP
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Giants Of Discovery is the alias of Kevin Downey. The origins of And It's Goodnight From The Human Race can be traced to a session that Downey recorded for The Magic Window, Steven Anderson's radio show. Titled Next Stop, The Stars, his set was conceived as a family vacation where the sightseeing included the rings of Saturn and the vastness of Jupiter, all seen from the cockpit of a small recreational spaceship. The tracks captured that sense cosmic wonderment that had characterized the 1950s Space Race and the imaginations of a whole generation. The tracks from Downey's Magic Window session form the first four tracks on And It's Goodnight From The Human Race. Between Next Stop, The Stars and this album, Downey's outlook changed. Twin themes allow And It's Goodnight From The Human Race to oscillate between the hopeful and funereal. A piece like "First Night Under A New Moon" outwardly seems full of optimism and energy. A rapid arpeggio presages a sense of excitement, which is increasingly held in check by minor chords that leave you feeling uncertain and full of trepidation by the track's conclusion. "Elsewhere, We Can Never Go Home" is utterly heart-wrenching. There is a profound sense of melancholy here, as if we are collectively longing for something that was once held dear, but which is now lost forever. Despite oscillating between those two poles, Downey was keen for the album to take the listener on mankind's journey to a new home, the conclusion of which he wanted to be upbeat and positive. Presented on translucent red color vinyl.
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SUBEX 068LP
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The East Coast of England is a land living on borrowed time. Time borrowed from the North Sea, reclaimed a thousand years ago. But now it seems that sea has come to claim it all back. Michael C Coldwell spent three years traveling up and down this rapidly disappearing shoreline, collecting ghost stories, photographing the roads to nowhere, the monumental sound mirrors and pillboxes teetering on the edges of cliffs, making field recordings of the waves and fog signals, and writing mournful electronic music from static caravans. This hauntological project finally culminated in a short essay film entitled Views from Sunk Island -- and this new Conflux Coldwell album. More than just a film score, The Phantomatic Coast stretches beyond the original aims of the documentary, to evoke something deeper about our troubled relationship with the sea -- the many towns and ships lost beneath the waves, and ancient forgotten lands lying out beyond the windfarms like some Yorkshire Atlantis. Memory and mythology became obvious themes in the work, as did the ruins and remains of the world wars, now slipping beneath shifting sands forever. Deluxe gatefold sleeve. Sea-mist color vinyl.
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SUBEX 080LP
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Pulselovers is the recording moniker of Doncaster's electronic music polymath, Mat Handley. In recent times, Mat's restless enthusiasm and boundless talent has seen him excel in a variety of related fields: as a much-loved broadcaster (presenting "You, the Night and the Music"); dispensing his electronic magic as a member of the bands Floodlights and Vert:x; and founding the essential Woodford Halse tape label. While recording as Pulselovers, he has produced a string of impressive releases, including titles on Castles in Space, Sensory Leakage, Polytechnic Youth, Misophonia, Russian Library, Do It Thissen, as well as regular contributions to the iconic A Year In The Country album series. Mat explains how reviewing these AYITC contributions gave rise to the possibility of compiling a retrospective collection as a stand-alone album: "Circles Within Circles contains tracks that have previously appeared on albums released by A Year In The Country between 2017 and 2020. Each collection had a particular theme which gave me an opportunity to experiment and develop the way I work by incorporating field recordings, tape loops and enrichments from additional instrumentation played by friends and kindred souls (guitar, bass, saxophone, flute, violin, vocals etc.) For example, the track 'Brodsworth' is built around a four-track tape loop of different synth tones to create a rudimentary (and very lo-fi) Mellotron, played using the sliders on the Tascam 414 in place of keys. For 'Fuggles', my partner and I broke into an abandoned brewery in Sheffield and made recordings of the empty space and crumbling concrete. For 'Beat Her Down' I assembled a virtual choir lead by Katje Janisch to sing a simple but disturbing folk nursery rhyme. It was my friend (and Floodlights main man) John Alexander who suggested collecting the AYITC tracks into a single volume and after several different permutations (around five pieces were excluded from this compilation), I think we've managed to put together something that feels like a coherent stand-alone album. I've enjoyed revisiting these works, some of which I've not listened to in five years. Thanks to Steve Prince of AYITC for his inspirational concepts and to Dan at Subexotic for giving these pieces a second home." Transparent magenta vinyl.
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SUBEX 066CD
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A gripping new split soundtrack album from two live wires of the underground electronic music scene. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, and Sidcup, Kent respectively, Hyacinth kicks off proceedings with a succession of his trademark Dada-esque breaks and beats. Compelling, beguiling, restless, and transitory, this is Hyacinth at his superb peak. The Central Office of Information picks up the rainswept transport theme, carving out a suspense-laden electronic soundtrack to create a stunning album counterpoint. Some bonus Hyacinth works close proceedings with such a flourish, it's hard not to be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of artistry on show. Passing Cars In The Rain documents two fascinating electronic producers at their finest. A certain treat for the curious explorer.
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SUBEX 098CD
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Simon Klee returns to Subexotic with his compelling new solo album, The Light Of Elevation. Charting its way through a sequence of disorientating themes, including invasive therapy, collective mental transcendency, and blissful states of consciousness, each section unfolds to reveal an overload of mind-bending altered states. Klee's take on mindfulness employs a jittering, yet euphoric energy, finely honed to mirror his subject. Synthesized lead lines and quick-fire drum machines snap and glimmer throughout, locking each motif into a pristine array of blister packed patterns. This fresh and daring twist on uplifting "synth-pop" proves to be an exhilarating evolution in Klee's ever expanding musical journey. Stirring stuff.
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SUBEX 056LP
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Shadow Work is Alex Cargill's (The Central Office Of Information) debut solo album on Subexotic. Cargill is no stranger to the label, having previously released the co-written TV1 as Transient Visitor (SUBEX 024LP, 2021), as well as the split release Passing Cars In The Rain with Hyacinth. With previous titles on such highly prized cult labels as Castles In Space, Woodford Halse, and Colander, Subexotic get in on some COI action with this intriguing new chapter in Alex's musical journey. Describing his current influences, Alex cites genres including synth wave, vaporwave, early '90s hardcore and techno, as well as recent work from the likes of Dalham, Plone, Moon Wiring Club, Polypores, Field Lines Cartographer, The Night Monitor, and the Clay Pipe Music label. Features Bob Fischer and DJ Space Terrapin.
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SUBEX 092CD
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The Lull of the Ley is Lee Pylon's (Dogs Versus Shadows) sonic exploration of writing by the archeologist Bec Lambert (Lady Liminal). The album seeks to reflect her rich dialogue with liminal places, with each track taking a cue directly from her writing. With its landscape of pylons, ghostly photo apps, subways, corridors, substations and beyond, on first inspection this appears to be a lonely place. However, Lee's lively, vibrant score seeks to press further, and you begin to see how this landscape frames the human condition: "This album was inspired by Bec's writing, which often strikes at the heart of what it means to be human. The album is dedicated to every human on the planet -- because we are all connected." Special edition CD includes booklet with an essay by Bec Lambert, interspersed with original artwork by Dan Seville. Features a mix by sevenism.
"The Hum has been with me since I was a child. It was, and still is, my connector with the world, with the universe. The Hum penetrates through to our very bones, connecting life physically and metaphorically. It pulses through the geological strata, vibrating through wood, water, soil, stone, Now, it also has a modern counterpart within the electric ley. From an early age I began having vivid dreams, where I would leave my physical body restlessly slumbering in its bed, and connect, through the pylons over yonder, with the rest of the world. I'd soar along the electric ley, to far away countries, seeking out others like me, who wanted to be set free from the pain of their everyday existences too."
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SUBEX 088CD
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Following his widely acclaimed album An Garradh (SUBEX 040LP, 2021), Steven Anderson (aka Letters from Mouse) returns with another highly evocative offering on Subexotic. Tarbolton Bachelors Club is a trip into local history via modular synthesis, found sound, and glimpses of poetry, uncovering links to one of Scotland's most famous icons, Rabbie Burns. Burns proves to be the catalyst, as LFM begins to unearth interconnecting events and places, with each track linking back to the locality in diverse and provocative ways. The "Tarbolton Bachelors Club" itself, was started by Rabbie Burns as a gentleman's club for debate and discussion on the latest topics and, as such, neatly reflects LFM's rich dialogue with locality and history. As with An Garradh, Anderson proves his masterful skill in crafting magical backdrops of place and time, was not a one-off. LFM tells a wonderful story and must be commended for another truly captivating album.
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SUBEX 076CD
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The concept of a "lockdown" album, recorded remotely is becoming a cliche at the moment, but the new collaborative project from Ioan Morris and Goodparley sidesteps all manner of cliches about the world and the genres they inhabit. Surroundings contains "Electronic Tone Poems" expressing deep aural musings of the world, built from Morris' synth soundscapes and augmented by Goodparley's layers of improvised guitar, reflecting both the isolation of the album's creation but also optimism of returning to the wider world. Across five pieces they reflect a shared experience viewed from different perspectives. Ultimately, it is an invitation to close your eyes and lose yourself in imaginary destinations that may feel familiar or not, but all contain "beauty, decay, entropy and rebirth". It is an album that both fans of Stars of the Lid and the Radiophonic Workshop will love. After getting talking in the now-defunct Buffalo Bar in Cardiff, the duo reconnected over an unlikely common ground. Richards had begun to reread the Narnia novel The Magician's Nephew a book that Morris had just created an imaginary soundtrack to in 2019 -- it seemed fated and they began collaborating. Narrative music is something of a common thread for Morris, who is best known for his soundtrack work on Doctor Who audio stories, while Goodparley is a respected name in the underground electronic scene having released his "experimental ambient droning psychedelia" on labels like Strategic Tape Reserve and the Submarine Broadcasting Company. His band Silent Forum, were nominated for a Welsh Music Prize for their debut album in 2019. The combination of these two sonic CVs has produced something special on Surroundings. The album's music is loosely conceptual, exploring spaces and places that only exist in the shared imaginations of the creators, realms of separate but shared consciousnesses, built via the internet in physically isolating circumstances. It soundtracks the imagined worlds outside of the restricted living and even of the restrictions of reality. Such is the cyclical nature of Surroundings almost any song could be the start or endpoint and the achievement would be much the same, even given the album's stark contrasts. Its music journeys through shimmering light to somber darkness, always striking an optimistic, hopeful tone. Surroundings is a document of a particular set of circumstances and feelings, a collaboration breaking out of its limitations and creating new worlds.
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SUBEX 024LP
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Transient Visitor are Alex Cargill and Martin Jensen of The Central Office of Information and The Home Current respectively. Formed in March 2020 when most of Europe was deep in lockdown due to Covid-19, Alex and Martin decided that the music should still flow, thus forming Transient Visitor and setting out on a mission to record a collaborative album together-apart in Kent, UK, and Luxembourg on the continent. TV1 is the first instalment from this process. Eight tracks unlocked and now being released into an uncertain world in the humble hope that it might help bring smiles to ears. TV1 is dedicated to Ray Cargill (1951-2020), Alex's father who sadly fell victim to Covid-19 and passed away earlier in the year. Martin: "... I was personally surprised how fast we actually managed to create something which -- to us at least -- was meaningful and as I was initially preparing for a long haul collab, pinging tracks back and forth, it was amazing to discover that things just came together rather effortlessly. I really love the immediacy and 'simplicity' of the result. I like to believe we've left room for the listener, for them to be able to 'enter' the music and take it in whichever direction they like, based on when they're listening or how they feel when they do. To paraphrase, I like to think we haven't spelled everything out too much but left plenty of space for personal interpretation..." Alex: "... This turned out to be such a liberating process and -- as Martin mentioned -- we churned out 16 tracks in about 2 months. We didn't get bogged down in the process and we just churned out fun, quick riffs and melodies without overthinking things. The way we worked was that one of us would create the basis for a track, email it across and see what the other person could add to it. For most tracks it was that simple -- we loved what the other person added and so hardly any post-editing or tweaking was needed. I think the end results speak for themselves -- the tracks are fun and groovy. We both have deep roots in hip hop, electro and rave culture and I think that this comes across clearly in the music. In terms of the equipment used, it was mostly a digital production although I did use a few analog synths at this end to add some 'dirt' to the proceedings." 180 gram, silver vinyl; includes digital download. Mastered by Andy Miles at StarDelta.
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SUBEX 044LP
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Subexotic Records presents the first project with talented producer Onepointwo. Konstantinos Giazlas (aka Onepointwo) hails from Thessaloniki, Greece, and sites influences from the late '50s electronic experimental sounds, motorik, krautrock, lush shoegaze melodies, and modern electronica. Talking about his creative outlook, Kostas says: "I continually look to emulate a musical journey into space, time, memories and frequencies." This journey is conducted with the use of minimal electronics, abstract and distorted shortwave radio signals, dystopian soundscapes, all carefully wrung out from criss-crossing digital and analogue sources, fused with a passion for heavy effects and percussive sounds. Fashioned from a collection of tracks hitherto believed to be lost to a cruel computer malfunction, Synchronization was salvaged from a final reboot. No editing, no tweaking, no second chance -- these tracks have reached terminal velocity. Luckily, what remains reveals a series of intricate yet powerful soundscapes, with finely wrought motifs that repeat and build to create Onepointwo's trademark shimmering psychedelic impact. 2020 brought about two album releases on highly regarded cult UK labels Miracle Pond and Woodford Halse, garnering a slew of positive reviews, including warm praise in Electronic Sound Magazine. Translucent blue, heavyweight vinyl; four-panel printed outer and inner sleeves.
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SUBEX 040LP
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Subexotic presents their first project with talented producer Letters From Mouse. Fashioned in the necessity of lockdown isolation, An Gàrradh (Scots Gaelic for "The Garden") invites the listener to look again, and contemplate his garden view as a vibrant yet reflective space. A masterful exponent of modular synthesis, LFM skillfully maintains a compelling sense of the sublime in the mundane throughout. "An Gàrradh is an album inspired by the goings on in my back garden. The garden faces the local stream (The White Burn) and woodland that is teaming with all sorts of creatures, many of which visit the garden. Watching these little visitors go about their business is a wonderful way to relax and switch off from the world. No matter what is going on these little guys are busy doing their thing in their little world. This album is meant to be listened to while staring out of your window, preferably with a mug of something tasty. Just take some time out and watch the things that happen right on your doorstep, it can be utterly fascinating. It's a great thought to take into the process of creating music and I do hope that this comes across in the tunes. Many of these were live performances using a modular synthesizer setup with a bit of post-production and effects applied at that stage. The unpredictable nature of modular gear really matches the behavior of these creatures. Not quite local but thanks to Josh Stewart aka Kh3rtis for the watery sounding samples. Josh recorded these in Vietnam and kindly shared them. Just for reference Christian is a squirrel (or was) and Gerald is a field mouse."
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SUBEX 036LP
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Xqui travels back one hundred years, navigating a twisted channel to the roaring Twenties. As this record crackles into life, sounds begin to melt and warp in a visceral transgression of time. Uncompromisingly immersive; startling; melancholic; confusing; beautiful -- Twenties is the rebirth of a fading spirit song of ages. Xqui on the album: "Often when I have an idea for a new track with a new approach or sound, it snowballs into something bigger. Whether that be a longer track, an EP or even an album, each time I try to have a theme that carries through the project. Lleisiau was based around voices, Microchasm was my industrial ambient album and Ambients found me in a more reflective and serene state of mind. With Twenties it was simply the thought of using archive recordings and footage to expand into something more tangible. I found dozens of recordings from the 1920s which I thought worked well with some of my more trademark sounds. I was looking at images for the search term '1920s' when I came across an image of a man from one hundred years ago who was wearing a facemask which was presumably from the time of the Spanish Flu pandemic. It was not until I saw it that I realized, with irony, that the same thing was happening here and now . . . I recorded and collated more field recordings and manipulated them to give the noise on the album. I feel it is probably my most complete work to date and I'm incredibly proud of it. I present to you, the Twenties." Xqui first appeared in April 2018 with his Britannia EP which was swiftly followed by the Dragon album. Using field recordings which he manipulated via mobile phone and laptop, he created incredible soundscapes and was quickly compared to Eno, Basinski, and Mansell. Since then, he has been in rich productive form with Twenties being his seventh full-length album. His work with boycalledcrow under the moniker of Wonderful Beasts received massive critical acclaim resulting in the approach from a filmmaker to provide soundtrack material as well as a sold-out debut compact disc.
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